Events
★
590 -
Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of
Persia.
★
1230 -
Bulgarian
tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Theodore of
Epirus near the village of
Klokotnitsa.
★
1276 -
Augsburg becomes an
Imperial Free City.
★
1500 - The fleet of
Pedro Alvares Cabral leaves
Lisbon for the
Indies. The fleet will discover the sea route to
Brazil, already Portuguese since the
treaty of Tordesillas in
1494.
★
1566 -
David Rizzio, the private secretary to
Mary I of Scotland, is murdered in the
Palace of Holyroodhouse,
Edinburgh,
Scotland.
★
1765 - After a public campaign by the writer
Voltaire, judges in
Paris posthumously exonerate
Jean Calas of murdering his son. Calas had been tortured and executed in
1762 on the charge, though his son had actually committed suicide.
★
1776 - Publication of the economics book
The Wealth of Nations by
Adam Smith.
★
1796 -
Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife,
Joséphine de Beauharnais.
★
1834 -
French Foreign Legion is founded.
★
1841 - The
Supreme Court of the United States rules in the
Amistad case, concerning captive
Africans who seized control of the slave-trading ship carrying them: the court rules that they had been taken into
slavery illegally.
★
1842 -
Giuseppe Verdi's third opera ''
Nabucco'' premieres in
Milan; its success establishes
Verdi as one of
Italy's foremost opera writers.
★
1847 -
Mexican-American War:
United States forces under
General Winfield Scott invade
Mexico near
Vera Cruz.
★
1856 -
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is founded in the Johnston Mansion House on the University of Alabama
★
1862 -
American Civil War: The first battle between two ironclad
warships, a five-hour battle near
Hampton Roads,
Virginia between the
USS Monitor and the
CSS Virginia, results in a draw.
★
1908 -
Inter Milan is founded.
★
1910 - The
Westmoreland County Coal Strike, involving 15,000
coal miners represented by the
United Mine Workers, begins.
★
1916 -
Pancho Villa leads 1,500
Mexican raiders in an attack against
Columbus, New Mexico, killing 17.
★
1924 -
Italy annexes
Fiume.
★
1932 - The
Egyptian University rector "
Ahmed Lotfy El-Said" resigns in protest of the transfer of Dr.
Taha Hussein without the
University's permission. In
2003, an academic group called "March 9" is established in
Egypt to defend academic rights and university independence.
★ 1932 - The first
Ford Flathead engine leaves the
assembly line at
Ford Motor Company.
★
1933 -
Great Depression: The
U.S. Congress begins its first 100 days of enacting
New Deal legislation.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the
Emergency Banking Act to
Congress.
★
1935 -
Hitler announces the creation of a new air force.
★
1945 -
World War II:
Bombing of Tokyo -
American B-29 bombers attack
Tokyo,
Japan with
incendiary bombs. The resulting
fire storm kills over 100,000 people.
★
1954 -
McCarthyism:
CBS television broadcasts the ''
See It Now'' episode, "A Report on Senator
Joseph McCarthy," produced by
Edward R. Murrow.
★
1957 - The
magnitude 8.6
1957 Andreanof Islands Earthquake and
tsunami occurs.
★
1959 - The
Barbie doll debuts.
★
1967 -
Josef Stalin's daughter
Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the
United States.
★
1975 - Construction of the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins.
★
1976 - Forty-two people die in a
Cavalese cable-car disaster, the worst cable-car accident to date.
★
1977 - The
1977 Hanafi Muslim Siege: Approximately a dozen armed
Hanafi Muslims take over 3 buildings in
Washington, DC, killing 1 person and taking more than 130 hostages. The hostage situation ends 2 days later.
★
1984 - The
Competitive Enterprise Institute in founded in Washington, D.C.
★
1986 -
United States Navy divers find the largely intact but heavily-damaged crew compartment of the
Space Shuttle Challenger. The bodies of all seven
astronauts were still inside.
★
1989 - A strike forces financially-troubled
Eastern Air Lines into
bankruptcy.
★
1990 - Dr.
Antonia Novello is sworn in as
Surgeon General of the United States, becoming the first female and
Hispanic American to serve in that position.
★ 1990 -
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Clyde Wells confirms he will rescind
Newfoundland's approval of the
Meech Lake Accord, effectively killing the Accord.
★
1991 - Massive demonstrations are held against
Slobodan Milošević in
Belgrade. Two people are killed and
tanks are in the streets.
★
1993 -
Rodney King testifies at the federal trial of four
Los Angeles, California police officers accused of violating King's
civil rights when they beat him during an arrest.
★
2006 - Liquid water is discovered on
Enceladus, the sixth largest moon of
Saturn.
★
2007 - The
US Justice Department releases an internal
audit that found that the
FBI had acted illegally in its use of the
USA Patriot Act, to secretly obtain personal information about US citizens.
Births
★
1213 -
Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy, French crusader (d.
1271)
★
1285 -
Emperor Go-Nijō of Japan (d.
1318)
★
1454 -
Amerigo Vespucci, Italian explorer and cartographer (d.
1512)
★
1564 -
David Fabricius, German astronomer (d.
1617)
★
1568 -
Aloysius Gonzaga, Italian saint (d.
1591)
★
1629 - Tsar
Alexis I of Russia (d.
1676)
★
1720 -
Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, English politician (d.
1790)
★
1737 -
Josef Mysliveček, Czech composer (d.
1781)
★
1749 -
Honore Mirabeau, French writer and politician (d.
1791)
★
1753 -
Jean-Baptiste Kleber, French general (d.
1800)
★
1758 -
Franz Joseph Gall, German neuroscientist (d.
1828)
★
1763 -
William Cobbett, English journalist and author (d.
1835)
★
1806 -
Edwin Forrest, American actor and philanthropist (d.
1872)
★
1814 -
Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet (d.
1861)
★
1815 -
David Davis, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d.
1886)
★
1820 -
Samuel Blatchford, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d.
1893)
★
1825 -
Alexander F. Mozhaiski, Russian aviation pioneer (d.
1890)
★
1839 -
Phoebe Knapp, American hymn writer (d.
1908)
★
1856 -
Eddie Foy, American singer and dancer (d.
1928)
★
1887 -
Phil Mead, English cricketeer (d.
1958)
★ 1887 -
Fritz Lenz, German geneticist (d.
1976)
★
1890 -
Vyacheslav Molotov, Russian politician (d.
1986)
★
1892 -
Vita Sackville-West, English writer and gardener (d.
1962)
★
1894 -
Frank Arnau, German writer (d.
1976)
★
1900 -
Howard Aiken, American computing pioneer (d.
1973)
★ 1900 -
Tomislav II of Croatia, 4th Duke of Aosta, Italian aristocrat (d.
1948)
★
1902 -
Will Geer, American actor (d.
1978)
★
1909 -
Derk Bodde, American sinologist (d.
2003)
★
1910 -
Samuel Barber, American composer (d.
1981)
★
1918 -
George Lincoln Rockwell, American Nazi leader (d.
1967)
★ 1918 -
Mickey Spillane, American writer (d.
2006)
★
1921 -
Carl Betz, American actor (d.
1978)
★ 1921 -
Cyd Charisse, American actress
★ 1921 -
Dimitris Horn, Greek actor (d.
1998)
★
1923 -
Walter Kohn, Austrian-born physicist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
★
1929 -
Desmond Hoyte,
Prime Minister and
President of Guyana (d.
2002)
★
1930 -
Ornette Coleman, American saxophonist and composer
★
1932 -
Keely Smith, American singer
★ 1932 -
Walter Mercado, Puerto Rican astrologist and actor
★
1933 -
Mel Lastman, Canadian politician
★ 1933 -
Lloyd Price, American singer
★
1934 -
Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut (d.
1968)
★ 1934 -
Del Close, American actor, improviser, writer, and teacher (d.
1999)
★ 1934 -
Marlene Streit, Canadian golfer
★ 1934 -
Joyce Van Patten, American actress
★
1935 -
Andrew Viterbi, American
telecommunications scientist and
businessman
★
1936 -
Tom Sestak, American football player (d.
1987)
★ 1936 -
Mickey Gilley, American musician and singer
★
1937 -
Bernard Landry, Premier of Quebec from 2001-2003
★ 1937 -
Brian Redman, British racing driver
★
1938 -
Lill-Babs, Swedish singer
★
1940 -
Raúl Juliá, Puerto Rican actor (d.
1994)
★
1941 -
Ernesto Miranda, American litigant (d.
1976)
★
1942 -
John Cale, Welsh musician, (
The Velvet Underground)
★ 1942 -
Mark Lindsay, American singer/musician (
Paul Revere & The Raiders)
★
1943 -
Bobby Fischer, American chess player
★ 1943 -
Charles Gibson, American television journalist
★ 1943 -
Trish Van Devere, American actress
★
1945 -
Robin Trower, British rock musician
★ 1945 -
Dennis Rader, American serial killer
★
1946 -
Jim Cregan, British rock musician
★
1947 -
Keri Hulme, New Zealandic writer
★
1948 -
Jeffrey Osborne, American singer
★ 1948 -
Emma Bonino, Italian politician
★
1950 -
Doug Ault, baseball player (d.
2004)
★ 1950 -
Danny Sullivan, American race car driver
★
1951 -
Michael Kinsley, American journalist and editor
★ 1951 -
Helen Zille, South African politician
★
1954 -
Bobby Sands,
IRA member (d.
1981)
★
1955 -
Teo Fabi, Italian racing driver
★ 1955 -
Ornella Muti, Italian actress
★
1956 -
Shashi Tharoor, Indian author & United Nations Under-Secretary General
★ 1956 -
David Willetts, UK Shadow Secretary for Education (Conservative)
★
1957 -
Mark Mancina, American composer
★ 1957 -
Faith Daniels, American journalist
★ 1957 -
Mona Sahlin, Swedish politician
★
1958 -
Martin Fry, English pop singer (
ABC)
★ 1958 -
Daniel Imperato, United States Presidential candidate, business entrepreneur
★
1960 -
Linda Fiorentino, American actress
★
1961 -
Robert Rechsteiner, US professional wrestler (Rick Steiner)
★ 1961 -
Camryn Manheim, American actress
★
1962 -
Jan Furtok, Polish footballer
★
1963 -
Sean Salisbury, American football player
★ 1963 -
Terry Mulholland, American baseball player
★ 1963 -
David Pogue, Technology columnist and musician
★
1964 -
Juliette Binoche, French actress
★ 1964 -
Phil Housley, American
ice hockey player
★ 1964 -
Herbert Fandel, German football referee
★
1965 -
Brian Bosworth, American football player
★ 1965 -
Benito Santiago, Puerto Rican baseball player
★
1966 -
Michael Patrick MacDonald, American memorist
★ 1966 -
Tony Lockett, Australian Rules Footballer
★
1968 -
Johnny Kelly, American drummer (
Type O Negative)
★ 1968 -
Youri Djorkaeff, French footballer
★
1969 -
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, American basketball player
★ 1969 -
Stefie Shock, Quebec singer and songwriter
★
1970 -
Shannon Leto, American drummer and occasional actor
★ 1970 -
Martin Johnson, English rugby player
★
1971 -
Emmanuel Lewis, American actor
★ 1971 -
C Miller, American rapper
★ 1971 -
Diego Torres, Argentine singer
★
1972 -
Kerr Smith, American actor
★ 1972 -
Spencer Howson, Australian radio broadcaster
★
1973 -
Aaron Boone, American baseball player
★
1975 -
Roy Makaay, Dutch footballer
★ 1975 -
Juan Sebastián Verón, Argentine footballer
★
1976 -
Thor Halvorssen, human rights activist
★ 1976 -
Ben Mulroney, Canadian television host
★
1977 -
Radek Dvořák, Czech hockey player
★ 1977 -
Yamila Diaz, Argentine supermodel
★
1978 -
Lucas Neill, Australian footballer
★
1979 -
Melina Perez, WWE Diva
★
1980 -
Chingy, American rapper
★
1981 -
Antonio Bryant, American football player
★
1982 -
Paul Ballard, English television presenter
★
1983 -
Clint Dempsey, American footballer
★ 1983 -
Maite Perroni, singer in the Latin pop group
RBD
★ 1983 -
Wayne Simien, American basketball player
★
1984 -
Julia Mancuso, American Olympic gold medalist
★
1986 -
Brittany Snow, American actress
★
1987 -
Bow Wow, American rapper and actor
Deaths
★
1202 - King
Sverre of Norway
★
1422 -
Jan Zelivsky,
Hussite priest (b.
1380)
★
1440 -
St Frances of Rome, Italian nun (b.
1384)
★
1566 -
David Rizzio, Italian secretary of
Mary I of Scotland (b.
1533)
★
1649 -
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, Scottish statesman (b.
1606)
★ 1649 -
Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, English soldier (executed) (b.
1590)
★
1661 -
Jules Cardinal Mazarin, French cardinal and statesman (b.
1602)
★
1709 -
Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, English diplomat
★
1808 -
Joseph Bonomi the Elder, architect (b.
1739)
★
1851 -
Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish physicist (b.
1777)
★
1888 -
William I, German Emperor (b.
1797)
★
1897 -
Sondre Norheim, Norwegian skier (b.
1825)
★
1937 -
Paul Elmer More, American critic and essayist (b.
1864)
★
1954 -
Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (b.
1912)
★ 1954 -
V. Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer (b.
1874)
★
1960 -
Jack Beattie, Northern Irish politician (b.
1886)
★
1964 -
Paul Erich von Lettow-Vorbeck, German general (b.
1870)
★
1966 -
Pablo Birger, Argentine racing driver (b.
1924)
★
1971 -
Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch (b.
1902)
★
1974 -
Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr., American physiologist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1915)
★
1975 -
Gleb W. Derujinsky, Russian-American sculptor (b.
1888)
★
1983 -
Faye Emerson, American actress (b.
1917)
★ 1983 -
Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1905)
★
1989 -
Robert Mapplethorpe, American artist (b.
1946)
★
1991 -
Jim Hardin, former
Baltimore Orioles,
New York Yankees and
Atlanta Braves pitcher (b.
1943)
★
1992 -
Menachem Begin,
Prime Minister of Israel, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize (b.
1913)
★
1993 -
C. Northcote Parkinson, British historian and writer (b.
1909)
★ 1993 -
Bob Crosby, American bandleader and vocalist (b.
1913)
★
1994 -
Charles Bukowski, American writer (b.
1920)
★ 1994 -
Fernando Rey, Spanish-born actor (b.
1917)
★ 1994 -
Eddie Creatchman, Canadian wrestler manager (b.
1928)
★
1996 -
George Burns, American actor and singer (b.
1896)
★
1997 -
The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (b.
1972)
★
1999 -
Harry Somers, Canadian composer (b.
1925)
★
2000 -
Ivo Robić, Croatian singer and songwriter (b.
1923)
★
2003 -
Stan Brakhage, American filmmaker (b.
1933)
★ 2003 -
Bernard Dowiyogo,
President of Nauru (b.
1946)
★
2004 -
Albert Mol, Dutch actor (b.
1917)
★ 2004 -
Dr. Gerald Deskin, Ph.D., clinical child psychologist (b.
1929)
★ 2004 -
Robert Pastorelli, American actor (b.
1954)
★ 2004 -
Rust Epique, former
Crazy Town guitarist (b.
1968)
★
2005 -
Chris LeDoux, American country singer (b.
1948)
★ 2005 -
Kurt Lotz, German business executive, second postwar CEO of
Volkswagen (b.
1912)
★ 2005 -
István Nyers, Hungarian footballer (b.
1924)
★ 2005 -
Jeanette Schmid, Austrian professional whistler; aka
Baroness Lips von Lipstrill (b.
1924)
★
2006 -
John Profumo, British cabinet minister (b.
1915)
★ 2006 -
Geir Ivarsøy, Norwegian programmer, co-founder of
Opera Software ASA (b.
1957)
★
2007 -
Brad Delp, American singer (
Boston) (b.
1951)
Holidays and observances
★
Belize -
Baron Bliss Day.
Liturgical feasts
Catholicism Feast day of
★
Saint Gregory of Nyssa
★
Saint Frances of Rome
★
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
External links
★
BBC: On This Day
★
★
On This Day in Canada
----